How to create a plan for your life

Wouldn't you prefer a life of productivity rather than a life of endless tasks with little accomplishment? Of course! When you carefully set your goals and keep them at the forefront of your mind, you can work smarter instead of longer. You'll know that a life worth living comes from a life of balance.

In order to maintain that balance, here's a key technique you can use in your life to help keep you on the right track: "visual chain thinking."

Ambitious people know that each step toward their goals is not a singular step. Each discipline is not a singular discipline. Each project is not a singular project. They see everything they do—and every discipline they adhere to—as a link in the chain of events and actions that will lead them to their final destination. Every action and every discipline achieved today is a link in the chain. Every action and every discipline achieved tomorrow is a link. And every action and every discipline achieved in the more distant future is also a link.

Your direction, activities and disciplines all make up crucial links in your chain of success. When you can see that one thing affects everything else, when you come to realize that every discipline affects every discipline, when you look at your future as a chain that needs strong links all along the way… then you'll build a reservoir of strength and courage that will serve you will during the downtimes. When you can see that every link in the chain will eventually lead you to the things you want most out of life and to the person you want to become, then you won't grow discouraged, fearful or impatient with today. When you can see where you're going through visual chain thinking, even on the toughest days, you'll keep moving toward your goals because you know where you're going.

Building your visual chain of thought begins when you have well-defined plans for your career, your family activities, your investments and your health. Your plans and goals are your visual chain. You know where you're going before you get there. It's ironic how we all understand the importance of mapping out a strategy for a football game or a basketball game. Not one professional team in the world begins a game without a game plan. But few of us take the time to map out such a strategy for our lives.

It's so important to make this sort of plan. Here's the first rule for your game plan of life: Don't begin the activities of your day until you know exactly what you plan to accomplish. Don't start your day until you have it planned. Do this every day. I know all this writing takes time and a disciplined effort. Remember, however, that reaching your goals is the fruitful result of discipline, not merely hope.

Once you've mastered the art of planning your day, you're ready for the next level. Don't begin the activities of your week until you know exactly what you plan to accomplish. Don't start your week until you have it planned.

Just imagine what life would be like if you took time out every Sunday to plan your week. Come Friday, you wouldn't be saying, "Boy, did this week fly by. Where did it go? What did I do?" No, if you plan your week before you start it, you'll know exactly what you want to do, what you want to accomplish and what you need to work on. If you learn to plan your days as part of your overall game plan for the week, the parts will fit much better. Your days will be better. You will be more effective. You'll be working smarter, not harder.

And when you've learned to plan your week, guess what? You've got to plan your month! Don't start your month until you've mapped out your game plan. By developing and following your game plan, your days, weeks and months all become part of a larger plan, a bigger design you develop, a long-term view of your life, a visual chain. You'll start gaining a greater perspective of it all… because you are planning. If visually seeing your future is new to you, if you've never developed a game plan before, let me offer a few tips. There are two things you need to understand before you create a game plan.

Source: www.success.com